A New Method:
Forehand Hitting Arm Structures

John Yandell

The latest greatest is the greatest. That's one mantra in tennis instruction. Two dominant players, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, hit straight arm forehands. That makes them technically superior. That means that every player should hit them that way. Sure. But currently 18 of the top 20 players in the world don't. Including a player who might pass Roger and Rafa in the list of all time champions. Right, Novak Djokovic.

Novak hits with a double bend structure. As do the upcoming stars with absolute rocket forehands: Dominic Thiem, Nick Krygios, and Alexander Zverev. As did Pete Sampras. As did Andre Agassi. As with so many technical questions in tennis, the simple answer isn't always the most accurate answer—or the best answer. So let's look at what really happens in high speed video and develop some ideas about hitting arm structures and your forehand.